Stewed Pears

You will find so many ways to enjoy these easily made Stewed Pears. They are sweet and tender, made without refined sugar, and infused with the fragrance and flavour of vanilla, lemon juice and cinnamon. With simple store cupboard ingredients, this is a dessert that you can have ready to serve in less than half an hour.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine International

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 133kcal

Author Alexandra Cook - It's Not Complicated Recipes

Ingredients

3 large pears – I use William Bartlett - prepared weight 650 g (1.5 lb), after peeling/coring See Note 1
1 tablespoon water See Note 2
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice See Note 3
2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Peel the pears and cut them in half.
Use a sharp paring knife to remove the core from each half, along with the stringy fibres that run from the stem to the core. You will also need to trim the calyx, the woody portion at the bottom of the pears.
Cut into chunks, as evenly sized as possible, about 3 cm (1 inch).
Add to a non-reactive saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir. (See Note 3)
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan and cook for 10 -15 minutes until the pears are tender but still holding their shape.
Test by inserting the tip of a sharp knife. If there is not much resistance, the pears are cooked. The amount of time will depend on the ripeness of the pears.
Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Pears: I have used William Bartlett pears, but you can use Packham, Beurre Bosc, Anjou, or other pears you prefer. They should be firm, only just ripe. Fully ripe pears are not suitable, they will become mushy. Different pears will produce a different texture and level of sweetness, so you may need to adjust accordingly.
Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
Lemon juice: due to the lemon juice, we recommend using a non-reactive saucepan, that is, one made from stainless steel, glass, ceramic or enamelled cookware. Aluminium, copper and iron pans are reactive. Acidic foods may discolour and take on a metallic taste if cooked in these pans.
Storage and re-heating: add the cooled pears to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be gently reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
Freezing: allow to cool and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Depending on how long they were initially cooked and how ripe the pears were, they may be slightly softer after defrosting.

Nutrition